We’re two sisters with a passion for growing delicious, sustainable mushrooms
Our Story
Raised in Surrey, we grew up surrounded by home-grown food - from working on our parents’ and grandfather’s allotments to helping out on a livestock farm in the New Forest.
It was these early experiences that shaped our respect for good food: how it’s grown, where it comes from, and why supporting it matters.
Our journey into mushrooms began with curiosity and quickly grew into something bigger. Within a year of growing our first crop, friends and family were asking how they could do the same. So, we started creating simple mushroom growing kits so others could experience the magic of growing their own.
At the heart of our business is our farm in Sussex
Here we grow a seasonal range of fresh gourmet mushrooms. Sustainability guides everything we do. We work with the principles of the circular economy - transforming natural waste streams into nutrient-rich growing substrates and giving materials a second life through mushroom cultivation.
Alongside the farm, we’ve developed a range of indoor and outdoor growing kits and creative projects designed to make mushroom growing accessible to everyone. We’re passionate about teaching people how mushrooms grow, why fungi are vital to healthy ecosystems, and the importance of understanding and protecting native species. What started as small kits for friends has grown into a range that helps thousands of people discover the joy and wonder of mushrooms.
As interest in fungi continues to grow, we feel incredibly lucky to work on exciting projects that bring mushroom growing into the public realm - inspiring more people to explore the fascinating world of fungi.
Why Mushrooms?
Our own journey began during a very different chapter. When our father was diagnosed with terminal cancer, we came together as siblings to support him and each other.
During this difficult time, we also began to rethink what we eat. Our curiosity and research led us down a rabbit hole into the fascinating world of mushrooms - their taste, their beauty, their nutritional power, and how they could enhance our health and daily lives.
Back in 2018, mushrooms beyond the familiar white, chestnut, or portobello varieties were surprisingly hard to find - and often flown halfway across the world. With our experience in hospitality and an inherently practical nature, we began growing mushrooms as a way to focus, create and heal through our grief.
And anyone that’s grown a mushroom will know, if you can grow a few, you can grow many. So, what began as curiosity quickly became something more. Before long, we were supplying cafés, pizza vans, independent chefs, friends, and neighbours with fresh oyster mushrooms grown on locally sourced, recycled coffee grounds.
So yes - we’re the Caley Brothers sisters.
Today there’s an exciting buzz around mushrooms, and we believe the world needs more small-scale mushroom farmers. From teaching cultivation and designing grow spaces to exhibiting mushrooms, we love sharing the fascinating world of fungi. Mushroom growing has brought us not only great food, but mindfulness, community, and healing - and we look forward to continuing the Caley Brothers story for years to come.
Why ‘Brothers’ and Not Sisters?
The Caley Brothers name existed long before we did.
In the 1950s, our grandparents and great-uncle Bill started a grocery delivery service in Surrey. With a converted white truck fitted with shelves and steps, they would drive to Borough and Brentford Markets in the early hours to collect fresh produce, delivering it to families across the housing estates of Molesey, Surrey.
Soon after, they opened a shop on Molesey High Street and ran a successful family business there for many years. In the 1990s, while passing the old shop, our grandparents stopped to watch builders removing a later shopfront. Hidden behind it was the original hand-painted Caley Brothers sign, perfectly preserved. They rushed into the local Woolworths to buy disposable cameras and captured the moment - giving us our first glimpse of the original brand.